2024-04-30 07:56:08
People like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are best known in private space travel. But private rocket builders from Germany also want to enter the market. The first launch of a launch vehicle from one of these German start-ups is scheduled for today, April 30, at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia. The twelve-meter-long rocket will fly with paraffin – practically candle wax – and liquid oxygen, but will not cross the border into space. It is not the first launch of a private launch vehicle from Germany.
The company HyImpulse, which is based near Heilbronn, wants to send the SR75 carrier rocket 60 kilometers up. The rocket can carry a payload of 250 kilograms and is also capable of flying into space, says Christian Stricher, the company’s co-founder. This is not planned this time under the current approval.
The goals of the test start
The engineers want to test the rocket’s engine. The drive concept is something special. The rocket flies on paraffin and liquid oxygen. The engine has now been worked on for more than ten years. The technology is already known, but has not yet been implemented in launch rockets, says Martin Tajmar, an expert in space technology at the TU Dresden. “There is no commercial rocket that uses this technology on a large scale.”
The idea is to use the launch vehicle to make a better offer for small satellites, says Stricher. “So far there are mainly rockets on the market that you can imagine like buses or trains. They only unload the satellites at certain locations in orbit – like at a bus stop. Our rocket is more like a taxi.
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The rockets are cheaper thanks to the hybrid engine made of solid and liquid fuel, as fewer components are required than with conventional engines. The next launches are already planned, says the 36-year-old engineer.
The rocket is HyImpulse’s first product. They are also working on a second, larger rocket that also has larger capacities. The rockets are expected to transport satellites into space in about a year and a half.
The whole world may not be watching the launch, but it is an important event for Germany, says space expert Tajmar. Overall, it is a niche market. But relevant for Europe because there is no one at the moment. In Europe, Arianespace’s rockets have so far played a crucial role in transporting satellites. An Ariane launcher that could launch something into space is not currently in operation.
In other countries, private space travel is much stronger, right?
Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s rockets are responsible for around 90 percent of all rocket launches worldwide this year, explains Tajmar. Then follow China. The rest falls to the rest of the world. “That’s so unimportant.” There are a lot of private start-ups in China that have already flown into space.
The SpaceX founder set the bar high. “Everyone is just watching in awe and the Chinese are trying to copy it.” Not much else is happening at the moment. Musk also started with a small rocket. But he moved relatively quickly to larger models, which then became reusable, a huge advantage in terms of price and availability. But: “You have to start somewhere,” says Tajmar, referring to German start-ups. Streur is aware that there are already corresponding suppliers of small rockets in the USA and China. But they are far too expensive, he says. HyImpulse wants to be significantly more attractive in terms of price.
A launch of the larger commercial rocket costs around six million euros. They want to calculate around 6,500 euros per kilogram of payload. We already have a lot of customer inquiries and the order books are well filled. Politicians also hope to reduce costs by using private providers.
Who needs satellite taxis like this?
According to Streicher, customers include the automotive industry, which needs satellites for navigation and autonomous driving. They don’t want to leave the market to China and the USA. “As Europeans, we also need independence from the Americans, even if they are our partners.”
Ulrich Walter, professor of space technology at the Technical University of Munich and a former astronaut, also sees many opportunities for private manufacturers of smaller rockets. The satellites will become smaller and smaller, he says. The new small rocket providers are more flexible than the larger ones, where you have to book a place two years in advance. The market will grow significantly in the future, said Walter. That’s why he thinks the start-ups’ ideas are right.
Back in the late 1970s, a German company developed a private rocket that was supposed to be a cheaper alternative, says Walter. There were some rocket tests by the Otrag company in Africa. “According to today’s usage, Otrag would be described as a start-up.” However, the company Otrag (Orbital Transport- und Rocket Aktiengesellschaft) was founded in the 1980s.
Which German companies are still in the starting blocks?
HyImpulse is not the only start-up in Germany that is working on the development of so-called microlaunchers. There are two competitors in the neighboring state of Bavaria: Rocket Factory in Augsburg and Isar Aerospace near Munich. All three were founded in recent years. They are all working on launchers that can carry satellites into space and are planning their first test flights soon.
Despite the size of the market, Walter is certain that there will not be a need for so many German providers. It remains to be seen which start-up will prevail.
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